Monday night I attended a dinner in which Provost Larry Nielsen spoke about leadership and service. Nielsen mentioned one thing he enjoys most about N.C. State is we are a comparatively young and growing University, with ample space for students to leave their mark. He said students have the opportunity to make lasting impressions on our University because it’s young and constantly changing. For my part, I’m taking him up on what he said by helping to shape the chemistry department and online courses.
With all the trouble students have taking chemistry, few realize that our chemistry department is seen as one of the best in the country. Admittedly, this fact came as a surprise to me after the rampant cheating I saw in an online version of Chemistry 201, Quantitative Science, a semester ago. Originally, I planned on writing an expose about the problems with the chemistry department, but at the advice of a mentor, I began thinking about the strains that the chemistry department is under instead.
2,700 students take CH-101 per semester and another 1,000 students take CH-201. Professors are constantly retiring or moving and are becoming very hard to replace. As more students take chemistry, the department must work to ensure that everyone receives the extremely high quality education N.C. State is known for. We must ensure that despite enrollment, we are working to provide every student with the best education available. This is no small task, but there are several things the University could do to make students’ experiences with chemistry more complete.
As a University, we need to stop encouraging so many students to go directly into Chemistry 101, Molecular Science. This is a fairly advanced class, and many students who have problems in this course lack basic skills that the course requires. These students ultimately slow down the class and can’t be ignored, but they shouldn’t be in the class in the first place. Instead, many humanities and programs like First Year College should begin to encourage students to register in CH-100 or CH-111. These classes would ultimately make passing CH-101 easier, and by encouraging students to enroll in a lower-level class, the chemistry department could focus the same amount of energy and resources on fewer students in CH-101.
We also need to realize that chemistry is best taught hands-on. Reading a book and working problems is not the best way to experience chemistry, and many students develop a dislike for this style of learning. For this reason, we need to reevaluate our use of online courses in all subjects, especially chemistry. Perhaps online courses should be required to include some sort of problem session or tutoring experience, a hybrid between working alone and getting group time with problems. If these courses are really offered as a convenience to students and are not just a reaction to growing enrollment, we need to ensure that they are fulfilling their purpose and teaching the material effectively.
Working to ensure a quality education should be a priority for everyone at N.C. State. We’re all paying for this education, so we should feel a commitment towards getting the most for our money. If online courses are offered, then they need to be effective and they need to teach the material well. As an investor in this University, I must insist that we continue to provide an N.C. State grade education, despite our growing size and enrollment.
What do you think about the status of the chemistry department? E-mail your thoughts to [email protected].
